Highland Civic Assn. mtg Thur, Oct 13, 6pm looks at BPL assignment system

[total recycling]

Subject: Highland Civic Assn. meeting Thursday, October 13, 6 p.m. looks
at Boston Public Schools assignment system

REMINDER THAT THE FALL HIGHLAND CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING, TO BE HELD
TOMORROW, THURSDAY, EVENING AT THE West Roxbury Branch Library (6 P.M.-7:45
P.M.) WILL FEATURE A DISCUSSION OF THE CURRENT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL
ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM AND POSSIBILITIES FOR CHANGE. Parents who are veterans of
this system, or those who are currently engaged in the system, are
particularly welcome. See below for full details.

Best regards,
Gwynne
Gwynne...@trimtab.tv
President, Highland Civic Assn.
===

From: Gwynne Morgan [mailto:gwynne...@trimtab.tv]
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 1:23 PM
Subject: Highland Civic Assn. meeting Thursday, October 13, 6 p.m. looks at
Boston Public Schoolos assignment system

Dear Friends & Neighbors in West Roxbury,

If we have children, we will in the past, present or
future, come up against the Boston Public Schools lottery assignment
system. Certainly most of us have watched as involved, educated families
have left our West Roxbury neighborhoods as their children approached
school age. Still others of us have paid steep fees to private schools in
order to remain Boston residents and avoid uncertainty about our children's
education. Some of us feel that our children's friendships, and the very
fabric of the community, have suffered from the assignment system and the
associated busing, which costs the city almost $80 million annually. In a
state and city championing green lifestyles, we also see the irony of a
school assignment system that relies on long bus trips for young children
and long commutes for parents who have fled to the suburbs to retain
control over their offspring's education. At the same time, we are aware
that all neighborhood schools in Boston are not equal, nor even in
neighborhoods that are safe. The ideal would be creation of neighborhood,
walk-to schools of equal educational quality,

If any of these topics strike a chord in you, please consider attending the
Highland Civic Assn. meeting on Thursday evening, October 13, at the
lecture hall of the West Roxbury Branch Library. Highland's fall meeting,
which will last from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. ,seeks to begin a discussion about
remedies for the flawed BPS school assignment system. City
Councilor-at-Large John Connolly, a former teacher who heads the Council's
education committee, will be the featured speaker. Local parents who have
had experience with the assignment system, or with an attempt to change
that system will share their experiences.

Highland Civic Assn. welcomes all West Roxbury residents and business
owners at its meetings.
30

For further information please contact Gwynne Morgan, Highland president at
Gwynne...@trimtab.tv